1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to electric toasters and, more specifically, to a toaster appliances having at least one circular-like carriage forming a support element for food articles such as tortillas, pita, naan and other flatbreads during a warming/toasting session.
The support walls are comprised of wire mesh with one side having a partial peripheral rim positioned flange extending therefrom acting as a carriage for the food article. Diametrically opposed is the other support wall that is spaced over the depending flange extending from the other.
Adjacent coplanar posts extend from the mesh-walls traveling in and through tracks located at each end of the interior housing with tensioning members fastened to the post distal ends keeping the support walls compressed. One of the tracks is of greater width thereby providing for variable thickness of the food article, which is held by the tensioned mesh walls.
One rail of the interiorly positioned track is substantially vertical while the other is angularly divergent so that when the tray is in the food article receiving position, the walls are spaced apart providing means for inserting and removing food articles without engaging the mesh-walls. As the tray is moved to the operative toasting position, the tracks and resident posts bring the walls into a substantially parallel relationship.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are other toaster devices designed for toasting food articles. While these devices may be suitable for the purposes for which they where designed, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described.
It is thus desirable to provide a carriage for a toaster having mesh-like walls for containing food articles therein thereby preventing the food article from contacting the heating element within the toaster.
It is further desirable to provide a carriage for food articles wherein one of said mesh-walls moves to a position creating a larger food article receiving aperture to prevent contact with the carriage elements while inserting and removing the food article therefrom.